Odubel Herrera Did Dumb Again

It seems like it’s becoming a nearly daily occurrence where you can point out something stupid that Odubel Herrera did. This is nothing new. Even at the beginning of last season, when we all fooled ourselves into thinking the Phillies could be good and Herrera hype was at an all-time high, I remember writing that he was good for one dumb-ass thing per game.

On Saturday night, he flipped his bat on a ground rule double.

Last night, he was first mocked by the Astros dugout for doing the same on a hard hit line out, and then benched by Pete Mackanin for failing to run out (or perhaps even recognize) a dropped third strike.

First, the bat flip.

The reaction of the Astros dugout wasn’t captured on either broadcast feed, but both Jim Salisbury and Matt Gelb pointed it out:

The Astros dugout is mocking Odubel Herrera after he bat flips into a deep fly out.

The lack of effort on the dropped third strike came later in the game and sent Mackanin over the edge. From Phillies.com:

But maybe because of Herrera’s continued mental lapses or maybe because he continues to hit well down in the lineup, the team’s hottest hitter has hit fifth, sixth or seventh in 23 of the previous 28 games.

Will Herrera ever just get it?

“I think that day will come,” Mackanin said. “Let’s put it this way: He’s in a development stage as well.”

But it doesn’t make the wait any easier while it continues to happen.

“This is a team thing,” Rupp said. “One guy just can’t not follow the rules. It’s not the first time. It’s happened before. It’s something we don’t want to see. He’s a good player, but you’ve got to do what you’re asked. Pete doesn’t ask a whole lot of us. He asks us to play the game hard, play the game the right way. Guys are going to make physical mistakes. Mental mistakes are something that you can control. Yeah, it’s frustrating. There’s no doubt about it.

“It’s hard for us. He’s a grown man. He has to learn on his own. We can only say so much.”

There’s a shift in baseball towards players showing more personality on the field. That’s a good thing. But you have to, you know, do something first to earn the right. Herrera routinely showboats, has bad mental lapses and seems to march to the beat of his own drum en route to outs.